On Your Doorstep
by madison3
Summary: After a long meeting, Mara gets a surprise.
1. Default Chapter

Luke was the one man she knew wouldn't come onto her. She depended on him. All the times she'd been approached, usually by ones who'd had too much to drink. Even after many polite refusals, a few uninformed sentients didn't seem to want to relax their attentions and so she would sit and wonder whether she would really have to hurt him, and how badly. It wasn't just Luke's Jedi dedication that made him so enjoyable and relaxing to be around, he was naturally kind and considerate, and wasn't into collecting sexual trophies. Mara respected him for this and always felt very at ease with him. She also knew there were well-hidden rumors about her, including betting pools and high stakes wagers in various gambling establishments. She just ignored them.  
  
After a meeting and dinner on Coruscant between Karrde's organization and some investors that were of interest to the Jedi, Mara and Luke had found themselves wandering back towards the old Imperial Quarter, walking deep into the night, talking about a million things. Mara was headed back to the Wild Kaarde and then back to her place. Luke was walking her there, out of courtesy, friendship and companionship.   
  
As they neared the Wild Karrde, Mara was just about to tell him that she wouldn't stay on board tonight. She preferred her own place when she was planetside and so was going to grab her bag and then head back to her apartment.  
  
They slowed down near the average-looking and strategically located docking bay that Karrde owned, she turned to Luke and saw something new in his eyes, a glimmer of a hunger she'd never seen before, a certain male factor that maybe she just hadn't been aware of in Luke. She heard a buzzing in her brain, and felt wary. He must have picked up on her observation and puzzlement, though the well trained operative wasn't revealing anything most people could ever notice. Luke smiled warmly and that brief spark was gone. He was the same old Luke, her good friend. Had she imagined it?   
  
Somehow her hand found its way into his. Mara stopped and slightly pulled her arm as if to pull out of it, but Luke held on. He turned to face her, still holding her right with his left. He had a strange expression in his eyes, that she hadn't ever seen before. Luke took Mara's other hand into his and Mara swallowed unconsciously. She was looking into his eyes, unable to take her eyes off his, lost in the depths of those wise, blue stars. All of a sudden there was nothing left between them and couldn't hold back the coercion that was urging them together. He pulled closer to her and deliberately, almost slowly put his mouth over hers, giving her a good warm more-than-friendship kiss. Mara's hands moved up to his shoulders. It felt rapturous, welcoming, beautiful. He broke the kiss, glanced at her for a moment and kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her as hers went around his neck. He kissed her more deeply now, definitely wanting more. She kissed him back passionately, answering him just as deeply. Finally they came up for air.  
  
Mara put her hand up against his shoulder, pushed away, staring at him, putting distance between them.  
  
"Luke!" she said to him, What was he doing? What were they doing? She turned away from his insistent, unretracting gaze, the hunger and desire evident.   
  
"Damnit Skywalker! What are you doing?.  
  
"I've been wanting to do that for some time now." He explained, his eyes patient and searching.  
  
"You are one that I don't have to worry about coming onto me," she said, narrowing her eyes. She had never guessed that Luke had anything more than friendship in mind for her - or had she? "The one guy who I know pays attention to me just as me, and listens to me, treats me like a person, not some scary, strange thing or bimbo babe. Now what are you doing?"  
  
Luke smiled amusedly, it had been pretty obvious what he'd-they'd been doing.   
  
"I really don't need this - from you of all people! There are lots of guys who don't seem to take no for an answer and then I have to wonder if I really have to hurt them to back off." Luke grinned at the thought of Mara fending off admirers who got too friendly too fast. He wished he could watch her in action. He wasn't going to apologize for his actions. He wasn't sorry. She was so beautiful, he wasn't surprised about unwanted advances.  
  
"You want to pretend it didn't happen?" he asked. Had they crossed a line as friends that they couldn't cross again? Mara might take off tomorrow to parts unknown for a long time. He knew how she could react when she was cornered. Had he overstepped it?  
  
Mara was turned slightly, staring at something in the middle distance. She didn't know if she could pretend it hadn't happened. Not with him.  
  
"Isn't this kind of a clichŽ: girl meets boy, girl plans to kill boy, girl ends up not killing boy, and now this?" Mara stepped towards him, and Luke's arm reached out to her waist.  
  
"I don't know, is it?" he asked. Mara looked into his eyes, her brows knit together with concern.  
  
"I don't know either," she murmured as his arms went around her again and suddenly they were at it again, devouring the fierce desire between and within them. Each of their passions leapt toward the other, the new shared ardor that had long been waiting to let loose grew, surrounded them and enfolded them in a dreamy, urgent and intense flare. Mara was pulling him into her as closely as she could. Luke kissed her with a passion she'd always known was there and now reveled in, this strong wonderful man.  
  
Luke had known hot in his life. The vast baked windstorms that came every few years across the Jundland Wastes changed sandscapes, moving sand dunes overnight, and always the hot winds. Now he knew how much he'd craved this searing heat, as intense as the burning suns of the desert that sent mirages flickering in the distance, bewitching thirsty travellers. In Mara he was touching hot as he'd yearned for a long time, and wasn't sure he deserved. All he knew was that he wanted more. He hungered for every part of her. He'd longed for this, not the barren blistering dry heat from the deserts he grew up in, this was was a new heat source, it sucked air from his lungs yet fed him as he nourished the fire back. Of course it was Mara that held this for him, how could she do anything else. She was a complex and passionate woman, kissing him like a supernova, pressing against him. He couldn't seem to get enough of her.   
  
She broke off, turning her head and breathing hard. What the sith was going on???   
  
What are you afraid of? had Luke said that? She hadn't seen his lips move. No, it hadn't come from him. Afraid? I'm not afraid!  
  
She took two steps backward.   
  
"I've got a lot of things to do." She briefly flicked a glance up at his eyes and then looked off to the side. She turned abruptly, she had to get out of here. Without another glance or word to him, she fled into the ship, closing the entrance as Luke watched her disappear. 


	2. Chapter 2

Later that night Mara sat in the Wild Karrde. She couldn't take off, the ship needed at minimum a four person crew to run, not to mention she needed to be at the meeting again tomorrow. She wished she could just get into orbit, away from that blasted Luke.  
  
He was so naïve at times, wise, smart. Brave. It had been his bravery bordering on lunacy and recklessness that had first begun to win her respect. That had led to the eventual friendship that had grown throughout the Thrawn crisis.  
  
How she wished she could take off and go see Ubari, her friend who ran a tapcaf on Commenor. She had to be back at the two-day meeting tomorrow, to finalize the deal. And Skywalker would be there too.  
  
She remembered a time about a month or so after the Wayland incident. Luke had called her and asked her to meet him on the roof where he'd given her that lightsaber.  
  
"There are going to be these NR functions coming up, and I will be expected to dance with Mon Mothma, and even with Leia. I don't know how to dance."  
  
Mara's eyes brightened, she suppressed a mocking smile.  
  
"And you want me to teach you?" she asked.  
  
"Would you?" Luke looked up at her sheepishly, "if it's not too much trouble."  
  
Mara stared at him and he didn't flinch. She hadn't done these dances in years.  
  
"Why not ask Leia?"  
  
"She's so busy with the twins, and well."  
  
"Well, what?" she demanded sharply.  
  
"Han would give me a terrible time about it"  
  
Mara considered. She'd never taught anyone else but she could probably swing it.  
  
"Sure I could show you a few steps. Enough to look decent on the dance floor."  
  
Luke looked relieved. Maybe even nervous.  
  
"When and where?"  
  
"I'm going to be here on Coruscant for another month, so anytime is fine with me."  
  
"Why don't we start right now?"  
  
Luke looked around and couldn't see or sense anyone watching them.  
  
"Never took dancing lessons or went to school dances?"  
  
"We weren't exactly in the high society of Anchorhead," Luke told her.  
  
"And what about school dances?"  
  
"Well me and my buddies went, and I even danced with a couple girls, but mostly we hung out outside and looked at speeders." In response to Mara's raised eyebrow, he added, "Okay we raced a bit, even though ww weren't supposed to on school grounds, but."  
  
"OK. Here now give me your arms. Put your hand on my waist and hold your other hand out. Now don't hold me like a piece of fragile glass, but don't have an iron grip either. "  
  
Luke complied with the posture and after Mara's approval and arrangement, she Mara taught Luke some steps and found that he learned pretty well and even got pretty good at them. They moved from simple steps to some more sophisticated dances. They worked in Luke or Mara's apartment, where they could put appropriate music on.  
  
"Not bad, Skywalker" she admitted. He even knew how to lead. She smiled appreciation, and Luke returned her smile with a broad blush. That had been a fun time with Luke. He hadn't ever given her any sign that he wanted anything romantic between them.  
  
"Jedi, what are you doing to me," Mara asked of no one in particular as she grabbed her flightbag and headed down the Wilde Karrde's ramp to make her way to her apartment. 


	3. The Next Morning

THE NEXT MORNING  
  
The next day, Mara arrived at the meeting early as she normally did, to make sure all was set up and arranged perfectly. Mara was surprised that Luke had not come by the time meeting started. Unlike him to be late. He rushed in 15 minutes late mumbling apologies and sat in the seat with his name in front of it, at the end of the long table.  
  
Mara didn't look up as he came in, but kept her attention on the datapad in front of her. She felt him look to her briefly, lingering on her. She was dressed in conservative business attire, her hair tidily swept up in a bun at the back of her head.  
  
Mara didn't know why she'd ever agreed to set up these contract talks for Karrde.  
  
"I can't be there, and you'd really be helping out," Talon had pleaded.  
  
"Isn't there anyone else who can do this?" Sitting through two days of legal wrangling was not her idea of enjoyable pursuits. She set up her own contracts much more casually, now that she had her own business.  
  
"They're all busy. Manvis Stonatt is talking an exclusive contract with us"  
  
"Very lucrative," Mara commented. Manvis Stonatt ran a large and very profitable mining operation.  
  
"I'll give you 20%. That's 2 runs a month."  
  
Mara agreed to do it, out of many favors she owed Karrde and the 20% didn't hurt, either. Yet there was an ambivalence stirring in her. The old business deal-making and savvy trading just didn't have any interest in it anymore. She liked getting around on her runs, making the rounds, seeing her clients, but lately everything had been getting stale. The excitement of finding an exotic commodity and being able to offer it to worlds that had never seen such delicacies at a comfortable markup wasn't there anymore.  
  
"Oh and by the way, Luke Skywalker is going to be there. Stonatt said something about helping the Jedi Academy or some such thing."  
  
And that had been that. The meeting had been set up and was being conducted by Moctare's assistants. Mara had just needed to show up.  
  
The legal people talked most of the second day. Pley'la, a Bothan, was the main counsel for Stonatt, along with Karrde's regular solicitor Ganci Gerytyl who oversaw his contracts on Coruscant. Finally they broke for a break.  
  
Finally, it was time to break.  
  
"Master Skywalker, you must accompany us to lunch in awhile," offered Manvis Moctare.  
  
Mara looked at Luke, warning him to decline. She was planning on entertaining Moctare at one of the best restaurants she could think of, at Karrde's expense, of course. This deal had gone well, and Mara was pleased with it.  
  
"Uh, no I'm sorry, I don't think I can make it." Luke answered.  
  
"Oh? Why not? Do you have other plans?" Mara knew Luke did not want to lie to Manvis.  
  
"I, um, well." Luke faltered.  
  
"I think Master Skywalker has something pressing to attend to," explained Mara.  
  
"That's right," Luke said, leading the way out into the corridor. Mara caught up with him, waiting for others to pass so they could have privacy.  
  
"Listen Skywalker, about last night," she began. "We need to forget what happened."  
  
"Is that what you want?" asked Luke, eying her carefully. He wasn't sure when his feelings had changed for her to something more serious, but he'd known it for quite awhile. And had been wondering if she felt more for him than as a good friend she'd known for a long time. Last night had confirmed it for him. There was much more between them, deeper and stronger. Why had she kissed him? Those wonderful kisses, her soft, warm body pushing into his, she had kissed him - it hadn't all been him. She was an amazing woman, and he supposed he might have expected this reaction.  
  
"It's for the best," Mara stated emphatically. An image flashed into her thoughts of the two of them naked and rolling around on a bed, legs tangling among linens. Annoyed, she pushed that thought out of her head. "Let's just forget it ever happened. Let's just go on as if it didn't happen."  
  
"Of course. It won't happen again." Luke promised. His eyes were unreadable. Mara couldn't look at him for too long, her eyes flicked to the transpariteel supports that ran along the corridor. She had a long run ahead of her in a few days. And after that..  
  
Mara stiffened her neck and pulled her shoulders up.  
  
"Good. If you can just keep your hands to yourself, everything will be all right," Mara crushed a wave, an urge to reach out and take both his hands into hers, while she was saying this. "You can handle that, can't you, Jedi?"  
  
"As you wish," Luke pledged, spreading his hands and arms down and wide, bowing slightly.  
  
Now it was awkward between them. Mara hated awkward moments. She relaxed a bit. Everything would be fine. Just like it had always been. It was Skywalker, after all. The meeting resumed and all went smoothly for Mara after that. Just how she liked it. 


End file.
